– Ruben Hoogland - From Monday 31 January to Thursday 10 February, I will be in Moraira, in the Valenciana region. A renowned cycling region more than 10 kilometres from Calpe, and that name will be familiar to many a cyclist. Cycling in Spain is fantastic anyway. On this page, I will let you know what I experienced every day, with photos, highlights and the route.
Costa Blanca
Moraira is thus close to Calpe, on the Costa Blanca. We previously wrote about this wonderful region where many a pro runs his preparation kilometres for the new season. One of the highlights of this region is the Coll de Rates. This climb has some wonderful hairpin turns and you can really enjoy the beautiful scenery there. We will definitely climb this col one day!
Day 1: Just exploring
Actually day 2. But because storm Corrie caused a three-hour delay, cycling was out of the question on the first day. After spending the first part of the day recovering in the sun from waiting at the airport in Rotterdam, we set off for an introductory mat the nearby area.
And there wasn't much time for a quiet income, because we immediately started with a lot of altitude metres. Fortunately, nowhere did it get really steep. On the other hand, it was not even one metre flat. And if it does seem to be flat, this is of course 'Spanish flat'. All in all, it was quite doable, although I would advise you to ride with a gear that you are sure you have that one extra tooth for when you need it.
The coolest spot of the route, was the final descent towards Moraira. Beautiful tarmac, and the view of the bay during 'golden hour'. Could bring tears to your eyes so beautiful. Is there anything better than cycling in Spain?
We are currently thinking about what the route should look like tomorrow. To be continued, then! For now: hasta mañana.
Day 2: Winding down in the Spanish spring sunshine
Today we head towards the Spanish interior. An instant big tip, as it is so much quieter there than in the touristy and more densely populated coastal region. Besides, you also have beautiful views from the Spanish hills. Or is it mountains? Opinions may be divided on that.
The most beautiful and longest climb today was the Port de la Vall d'Ebo, which takes you to 540 metres altitude. A gradual climb, with stunning sea views. After this, we descended towards Gorga, before continuing up through the hilly landscape to 830 metres. The final part of this adventure is no mean feat. The Puerto de Tollos via Beniaia. The steepest 100 metres is 14.7% with a maximum gradient of 17%. Sort of a Wall of Huy, but longer.
After this 'highlight', most of the rest of the route was downhill, passing characteristic Spanish villages. The stretch of descent towards Castell de Castells was particularly magnificent. The white-plastered houses sketched a beautiful contrast with the Mediterranean hills.
Day 3: Recuperate with a return trip to Calpe
To be honest, I have been in better shape before. A day like yesterday's then hits me pretty hard, with all those steep hills in the Spanish interior. So good resolution to take it a bit easier today.
A relatively flat ride is a bit hard to find here, though. So we decided to cycle back and forth to Calpe from Moraira, to stop off at a coffee shop called Service Course (by Baguet Bicyle Club), run by Belgians. Inside, the Saudi Tour was on Eurosport, and outside, a bunch of Belgian cycling tourists were enjoying the Kwaremont.
Actually, this was a lovely day like this. Some time to recover, and enjoy while 'strolling' along the boulevards between Moraira and Calpe.
